That year or two when you are closing in on your retirement date, followed by a year or two after you retire, are the worst times for a sustained market decline. Market analysts call this scenario the sequence of...

At the end of 2019, Congress passed the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act as part of a year-end appropriations package. This bill is designed to address specific issues...

Economists generally determine that the country has fallen into a recession after two consecutive quarters of negative gross domestic product (GDP) growth. Since 1967, the United States has experienced seven recessions...

Statistics indicate that the average life expectancy is longer than it used to be, but empirically we see this every day among elderly people who have lived much longer than they probably expected. This phenomenon...

If you have a relative who recently died and left you in charge of his or her finances, you are not alone. You probably have colleagues at work in the same boat. A neighbor or two (or 10) and even your millennial...

There are a number of threats that both retirees and pre-retirees are facing right now when it comes to drawing Social Security benefits. For example, there’s a new scam this year. Seniors are being solicited...

These days, people who live to age 65 can expect to live at least another 20 years. That means many are likely to require some form of assisted care giving. According to aging experts, the following guidelines...

Over a 10-day period in December 2018, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) dropped by more than 350 points six different times. It then experienced its largest increase on record – a 1,000-point...

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act delivered a wealth of benefits for taxpayers at every income level, but none more so than for the very rich. The net result of huge tax breaks for both high-income and corporate taxpayers...

One of the reasons investing is tricky is because it involves so many factors that we cannot control. One factor is the specific investment itself. In the case of a stock, the share price relies on company management...

The path for women is a little like two steps forward, one step back. For example, almost 40 percent of all privately held firms in the United States today are owned by women. Furthermore, the 2018 midterm elections...

A large number of Americans intend to keep working past retirement age. For many, their reasons are financial. Some have a high level of debt while others are afraid if they retire too soon, they will run out of money...

It is common knowledge that as we grow old, our bodies tend to not work as well. Some folks begin having physical challenges, some have cognitive issues and some have both. But what we don’t know is which, if any, of those challenges we will...

The low interest rate environment of recent years has presented challenges to retirees who rely on bonds to supplement retirement income. Low rates and sustained equity outperformance have made stocks more...

By 2035, millions of baby boomers might well be living a meager existence. That’s because today, close to half of the households in the United States have absolutely nothing saved for retirement. Over the past......

The S&P 500 has enjoyed an eight-year bull market with an average annual return of 19.4 percent. Starting in 2019, U.S. companies will benefit from a massive cut in the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21...

Traditionally, retirement was short and peaceful. People worked jobs that were hard on the body – such as farming, manufacturing, tradesmen or railroad workers. If you made it to retirement, you were relieved......

According to a recent study by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, the following percentages represent how much the average American will need to rely on personal savings to provide income throughout retirement......

At the end of last year, Congress was considering tying up a tax revenue loophole known as the Stretch IRA. Currently, a traditional IRA can be passed from one generation to the next, thereby extending tax-deferred growth......

The LIMRA Secure Retirement Institute estimates that the average healthy person will live through their mid-90s. If you retire at the traditional age during your 60s, this could mean needing enough retirement...

The Republican takeover of the White House has stirred speculation that inflation will rise, largely based on positive consumer sentiment, steady growth in jobs and President Trump's support for increased spending......

After four years of inflation rates just at or below 2 percent, many economists believe America has finally entered a period of reflation. Reflation is the turning point and first phase of economic growth toward increased...

Life Insurance - The older we get, the more financially complicated our lives become. It seems like one day we wake up and we have a mortgage, ongoing home repair and maintenance demands, a 401(k) plan...

Managing Risk - What a difference just a few years, a few weeks, or even a few Tweets can make. Ever since the turn of the century we've experienced a rapid boom in technology, the real estate and banking collapse, one of the...

A bond is a loan an investor makes to an organization in exchange for regular interest payments over a specific period of time. At the end of that period, known as its maturity date, the loan is repaid in...

In October of 2016, the Social Security Administration released the annual cost of living adjustment (COLA) update for Social Security benefits for 2017 the upcoming year. The average monthly increase next year in 2017 for retirees...

By 2030, one in five Americans will be 65 or older. Among today’s retirees, 87 percent say they want to stay in their current home and community as they age. It’s easy to imagine those numbers will increase by...

For all the bluster about stock market volatility, when you count dividends the S&P 500 has already surpassed its highest return on record. Unlike the interest from bonds, stock dividends tend to grow over...

In the traditional sense of financial markets, they are cyclical. Sectors get hot, industries bank on trends, and companies ebb and flow on the whims of consumerism. But at the micro level, innovation always persists. Even during...

The second program is auto escalation, in which the employer automatically increases the amount each participant defers to the 401(k) on an annual basis. Both of the plans allow workers to opt out of the automatic...

A portfolio of individual bonds can provide constant, dependable income both now and in the future. Now that we're in an environment of rising interest rates, it's more important than ever to develop a bond portfolio...

In the United States, one out of three baby boomers is single. One in every four divorce cases filed involves a spouse over age 50. What's more, over the past 20 years the divorce rate for people older than 50 has...

The Municipal Bond Market: Current Risks, Opportunities and Tax Advantages

June 2014

Municipal bonds posted impressive returns in the first quarter of this year and are poised for a strong 2014 thanks to low supply and improving fundamentals at both state and local levels. New issues are expected to drop to around $280 billion...

Throughout our careers, we stash away money for retirement. Then that fated day arrives when we push away from the desk and retire. Perhaps we receive a gold watch or other symbolic appreciation of our...

The Health Savings Account (HSA) was originally created to offer a financial incentive for individuals enrolled in a high deductible health care plan (HDHP) to save and help pay for some of their own health...

How much of your business depends on the knowledge and talents of a small group of people - or even just one person? In a private professional practice, such as that of a doctor or attorney, the firm...

Members of the so-called Generation Y are in over their heads. A new online survey by The PNC Financial Services Group shows that people in their 20s are carrying record debt, averaging $45,000 across the age range of...

Divorce rates in the United States have been declining for the past couple of decades, but are still quite common. Surprisingly, divorce rates drop during economic recessions. Still, an estimated 24...

For those who are fortunate enough to be in possession of a highly appreciated asset – whether as a result of hard work, luck or an inheritance –talking to a tax and financial expert to discuss tax and financial...

Learning to live on less is never easy. Sometimes it’s voluntary, like when a spouse decides to stay home to take care of children. Sometimes the decision is made for you. If one half of a couple is laid off, living...

Health insurance premiums are rising: What can you do to protect yourself?

December 2011

As healthcare costs in the United States continue to climb, premiums are on the rise. Adding to the pain, coverage is being reeled in, co-pays are going up and deductibles are creeping higher. Maximum out-of-pocket...

Existing home sales are down in most regions of the United States, and the depressed housing market continues to slump even with improved job growth. Expiring tax credits are a factor in lower than expected sales, as are...

Individuals and families need solutions to help cope with a long-term care crisis that, according to experts, has been in the making for decades. Its long-anticipated arrival has been hastened by an economic downturn, burgeoning...

Did you know that more than half of all U.S. businesses are home based? These business owners are sometimes referred to as homepreneurs. Mary Kay Cosmetics and even Ford Motor Company were once businesses...

Keeping up with the federal rules and regulations for Individual Retirement Accounts is kind of like keeping up with the constantly changing tax law. While the finer points are best left to financial planners to...

Based on a new tax law that takes effect in 2011, nowis the time to become familiar with cost basis. Although inaccurate reporting can lead to dire consequences, the new law has as much to do with improving the...

Older generations were taught to save for a rainy day but the concept of saving for a rainy day or for an emergency or for anything unforeseen was lost on the younger generations. If your children are at a learning age......

With the July enactment of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the financial reform debate moves from Pennsylvania Avenue to the offices of the regulators. Although the Act establishes...

Just about any accountant you talk to will stress the importance of timely financial information in managing your business. Your balance sheet and income statement can tell you a great deal about the health of...

This year, there is plenty of buzz over converting traditional individual retirement accounts to Roth IRAs, and rightfully so. This is the first year that higher income earners can convert to a Roth IRA and...

Caring for elderly parents is nothing new, but with longer life expectancies that commitment grows exponentially. In addition, the delay of starting families until careers are well-established has only...

If you use a CPA to prepare your taxes, you are no doubt looking forward to the arrival of your annual tax organizer. In case you forgot, that is the package we send to help you gather your tax information. While many...

According to the Federal Reserve, it looks as if the recession is over. Whether thatÃ‚Â’s true or not, the stock market seems to be rebounding after last yearÃ‚Â’s debacle. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA)...

Both 2008 and 2009 were tough years if you rely on a fixed income and investments to pay the bills. While 2007 was a relatively good year, 2008 began with market declines that led to a disaster by the...

The past 24 months have been tough for homeowners. Between the resetting of adjustable rate mortgages and a sour economy that's cost millions of jobs, borrowers' needs for cash have multiplied. ItÂ’s only...

The year 2009 will go down as a poor one for the hospitality industry because Americans are finding it hard to afford vacations. With the high cost of transportation, meals and all the other activities...

In 2001, President George W. Bush signed into law a plan to eliminate the Federal Estate Tax in 2010. There was only one catch – it would resurface in 2011. Since the passage of that plan, there have been numerous attempts to make the repeal...

Divorce is one of those events in life that is an unpleasant topic at best. Between the emotions, property issues, and custody issues, the pain is often excruciating, but don’t let that keep you from fully protecting your...

Over the years, we have looked at the effects of a family’s budget on their financial well being, but we haven’t focused on the effects that governmental budgets have on us. With the presentation of President Barak...

Now that February is upon us, most taxpayers should be receiving their Forms W-2 and 1099. To many, that means it’s time to get Turbo-Tax or some other tax preparation software and prepare their returns. Truthfully, this is probably a...

In a perfect world, the typical mutual fund would have increased in value by 12% and thrown off capital gains dividends of, say, 12% this year. This, of course, is purely hypothetical and the fact is that the world in 2008 has been anything but...

According to some estimates, retirement accounts have lost over $2 trillion in value over the last year and there is no question housing values are down. Most recent reports show the U.S. economy contracting in the third quarter of 2008 and many pundits...

It’s no secret that the U.S. economy is going through a great deal of upheaval these days. With the government taking control of the two largest funders of home mortgages, and major Wall Street players...

The current volatility of the stock market has many clients seeking safety for their retirement nest egg. At the same time, they are not content with the low yields typically offered by more stable investments...

In February 2003, we discussed a mortgage product that was gaining favor in the marketplace – the reverse mortgage. Although the product had been available since 1961, only 18,079 such loans were filed...

As a Christmas gift to middle class taxpayers - and those who have been hit hard by sub-prime mortgage woes - Congress passed, and the President signed into law, several last minute bills aimed at helping these...

What is the most important place on earth to you? Is it your office or maybe the football stadium? Could it be where you worship or perhaps where you live? If this writer had to guess, I’d say your home would have to...

It seems as though you can’t turn on TV, listen to the radio or check your e-mail these days without being accosted by ads promising to save you from the credit card/consumer debt monster. Getting ready for...

Not too long ago, a worried and angry gentleman walked into our office. It seems as though he had been provided a great opportunity by an insurance agent acquaintance - a sort of "have your cake and eat it...

Before we begin this article, we need to start with a disclaimer. Never, ever, and we mean never try to withdraw money from your retirement if you are under 59 ½ years old. Between taxes on the income you receive...

An elderly man walked into a CPA’s office one time and asked for estate planning advice. After a few preliminary questions, including the size of the estate, the CPA asked about heirs. The client mentioned...

Happy Valentine’s Day to all you happy couples! Valentine’s day holds a special meaning to our topic for this month - financial planning for the young couple. Valentine’s Day is the day we show our spouses how much we...

Welcome to 2004! We hope you will accept our good wishes that you will have a wonderful new year. We are certainly going to do our part to help you along on the path to a successful year and one of the...

As a young child growing up, I never could understand why my parents seemed so edgy and anxious around the Christmas Holidays or as many put it these days, the Holiday Season. For us kids, it was a great...

This month, we’ve discussed the tax implications of personal injury awards and a business’s need good attorney. Much of what we said regarding a business also applies at the personal level. While we hope...

We've all heard something like, income taxes are not constitutional or since we have a voluntary tax system, I choose not to volunteer. Well, so has the IRS and recently the IRS Chief Counsel put out a...

Let's see - first came the ATM, then you could get your bank balance and transfer funds over the telephone and now - now you can do just about anything over the internet that the teller used to do. Is this good,...

A growing number of employees find themselves with extensive holdings in their own companies' stock but most are not aware of the risk factors involved. The International Association for Financial Planning has issued a Critical Issues Report, entitled Ho...